Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has become the latest, and perhaps most prominent, public figure to express support for a new investigation into the 9/11 attacks.

We Are Change Ohio attended a book signing by the former President in Chicago. Despite the best efforts of secret service personnel to abduct the person recording the conversation, the audio of Carter’s words were still captured.

Carter was asked, “I was just wondering if you’d support the victims’ family members that want a new investigation into 9/11.”

Carter clarifies the question before responding, “Yeah, I don’t have anything to do with it but I certainly would….it would be nice.

“The basic reason is that our country suffered, in 9/11, a terrible and shocking attack … and George Bush has been adroit at exploiting that attack, and he has elevated himself, in the consciousness of many Americans, to a heroic commander in chief, fighting a global threat against America,” Carter said.

“He’s repeatedly played that card, and to some degree quite successfully. I think that success has dissipated,” he added.

Carter responded to the atmosphere at the time by slamming the notion that questioning Bush’s actions was unpatriotic.

His rebuke for media cowardice about asking tough questions about the “war on terror” was also stinging.

“The press have been cowed, because they didn’t want to be unpatriotic. There has been a lack of inquisitive journalism. In fact, it’s hard to think of a major medium in the United States that has been objective and fair and balanced, and critical when criticism was deserved,” said Carter.

Carter’s support for a new investigation into 9/11 has been echoed by innumerable prominent public figures both in and out of politics over the last few years.